


What NOT To Say To The Girl You Like

by MaliceManaged



Series: A Norse God's Questionable Ideas Of Courtship [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Breaking and Entering, Gen, Hiding, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki Doesn't Seem To Understand What 'No' Means, Persistent Loki, Safehouses, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Unwanted attention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 01:59:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6636511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaliceManaged/pseuds/MaliceManaged
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A month after meeting the God of Mischief, Luna tries to move on with her life. Which proves to be rather difficult when said god won't leave her alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

    A month. That’s how long it took Luna to stop constantly thinking about a _certain_ cell, in a _certain_ room, in a _certain_ building, on one _particular_ day.

 

    More specifically; one very particular deity.

 

    There were other things on her mind, certainly; like the fact that her father was missing and very likely dead, the fact that she’d been moved to a safehouse to keep Hydra from targeting her, the fact that the wifi in the house was terrible at best and that the agents that brought her supplies never got her dessert preferences right. But that didn’t stop her idle thoughts from wandering to Loki more times than could possibly be sane.

 

    She had wondered if maybe he’d done something to her, but the conversation she’d had with Thor after he’d found her in the cell made that seem very unlikely. Then she figured maybe it was the shock of everything catching up with her. She _had_ been threatened, chased and shot at, after all; it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for her to obsess a little with her... saviour? Well; he’d kept her from getting killed, anyway. Maybe it was just that he’d been so different from what she’d expected, from what she remembered of that one time she saw him in New York.

 

    Whatever it was, she spent the better part of thirty days trying to move past that day and everything it brought. Which was not very easy considering literally everything about her surroundings brought it all back.

 

    After staring at the ceiling blankly for the third hour in a row, Luna sighed and decided it was time to get out of bed; she tossed and kicked the covers aside, stood, and made her way to the bathroom, not bothering to grab some clothes. It was the weekend and she fully intended to spend at least most of the day in her black satin babydoll and pants pyjamas. Once she was done she briefly considered trying to tame her fiery hair before deciding it wasn’t worth the effort on an empty stomach, so instead she ran her fingers through it to undo what knots she could and headed out towards the kitchen. She was walking across the living room with her mind fully focused on the promise of food, when a loud crack echoed in the room behind her and she started violently with a shriek, whirling around to find the source of the noise and coming face-to-face with a rather amused-looking Loki.

 

    “You!” Luna almost squeaked in shock.

 

    “I see you remember me.” Loki said pleasantly, as though he hadn’t just given her a minor heart attack.

 

    “What the hell!” She cried as she quickly stepped back away from him, “You can’t just... _appear_ in someone’s living room like that! What is wrong with you?!”

 

    “Would you have let me in if I’d knocked?”

 

    “Of course not!”

 

    “Exactly.”

 

    “That doesn’t make it okay for you to just _break in,_ you lunatic!”

 

    Loki seemed to give it some thought then nodded slightly in acquiescence and took a step forward that Luna countered with a step back. He stopped and frowned slightly, staring at her for an altogether unsettlingly long moment. “Do you fear me, little bird?” He finally asked.

 

    Luna shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, eyeing him warily. “...Which answer doesn’t get me killed?” She replied at length.

 

    Loki’s frown deepened and he let out a sigh. “I’m not going to hurt you, Luna.” He said before taking a step back to give her space and prove his words.

 

    “Why not?” Luna asked before she could stop herself. _Wait, what? What the hell did I ask_ that _for?!_

 

    “Why _would_ I?” Loki countered, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow.

 

    Luna opened her mouth then closed it, not really sure what to reply to that. Why would he, indeed? It wasn’t as though she was in any way a threat to him. “Why are you here?” She quickly changed the subject.

 

    “I was bored.” He replied with a shrug.

 

    “So? Don’t you have any hobbies?”

 

    “I do, but you were on my mind.”

 

    Luna blinked then narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “Why?” She drew the word out slowly.

 

    “You interest me, little bird.” He said with a small smile.

 

    Luna blinked again. _Oh, joy; I’ve caught the eye of psychotic, godly royalty. Lucky me._ She thought to herself sarcastically. As if her life wasn’t weird enough already. “What about me could _possibly_...” She began to ask then stopped and sighed in frustration, running her hand through her hair. “It is entirely too early for this.” She muttered then turned around and walked into the kitchen.

 

    Loki hesitated for all of two seconds before following after her and stood leaning against the counter as Luna looked through the fridge. “These are poor accommodations compared to your previous home.” He commented as he looked around critically.

 

    “Yeah, well, I didn’t pick the place.” Luna replied absently as she grabbed the milk and closed the fridge. She was reaching for the cereal in the cupboard next to him before she fully registered what he’d said and turned to look at him. “Hang on; how the hell do you know what my house looked like?” She asked, unsure of just how much she wanted an answer.

 

    Loki blinked as he realised what he’d said and quickly rifled through his mind for an appropriate response. “I read your mind.” He said, outwardly sounding casual, though internally he was kicking himself for both the slip and the lie that likely just made the situation worse.

 

    Luna’s reaction was... not what he’d expected. He did anticipate the surprise, indignation and anger that flashed across her face quickly enough to give anyone else whiplash, but he did _not_ expect the hand that flew upwards and collided harshly with his cheek.

 

    Curiously enough, it actually _stung._ Rather badly at that. He filed that information away for later.

 

    He blinked and looked back at Luna, who seemed just as surprised by her own action before panic began to tint her features and she hastily stepped away from him.

 

    “Well; that was... I suppose I deserved that...” Loki muttered, trying to come up with a way to reassure her that she _hadn’t_ just signed her own death warrant. “I... apologise for the intrusion.” He added then stepped back and was gone just as suddenly, and loudly, as he’d arrived.

 

    Luna flinched at the sound then stood there for a long while, staring at the spot Loki had vacated. “What the hell?” She asked aloud to no one.

 

    After another moment she shook her head bemusedly and continued fixing herself a bowl of cereal, which she took to the living room with her. She carefully sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote to turn the TV on; flipping through the channels until she found something she liked, she settled back to eat.

 

    She had just finished watching a second movie, her empty bowl placed on the table before her until she felt like taking it back to the kitchen, when there was a knock at the door. She sighed and stood, figuring it was one of the agents that usually stopped by, there to drop something off; instead she opened the door to find Loki.

 

    She promptly slammed it shut in his face before he could say a word.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that, I finished this faster than I thought I would.

    In hindsight, Loki supposed he shouldn’t have expected any different, given the circumstances.

 

    He sighed and knocked on the door again. Instead of opening it, Luna pulled aside the curtain before the panels of glass that framed the door of the small house and looked out at him. “I knocked this time.” He stated, seeming rather pleased with his efforts.

 

    “I’m calling SHIELD!” Luna threatened, trying to sound braver than she was feeling.

 

    “Please don’t; I’d rather not spend the energy to dispose of them.”

 

    At that Luna’s eyes widened and she stepped away from the glass. “What do you want from me?” She called through the door, voice wavering only slightly.

 

    “I just wish to talk.”

 

    “Well, I don’t. Go away!”

 

    Loki sighed again, leaning his forehead against the door. This really was not going very well. “I’d really rather not.” He called.

 

    “I don’t care! Go away, or I’ll call Thor!”

 

    Loki smirked. “Nice try, little bird, but I happen to know that my brother is not currently in this realm.” He replied almost smugly.

 

    A moment of silence followed, and then the door cracked open a few inches and a green eye peered out and up at him. “If I let you in for a _little while,”_ Luna began, emphasising that she didn’t intend for him to linger, “Will you leave me alone?”

 

    “Unlikely.” Loki replied honestly.

 

    She slammed the door shut again.

 

    Loki sighed yet again and briefly wondered if maybe he should leave and come back when she was less upset. Instead he teleported himself back into her living room, silently this time so as not to startle her again. The lack of noise certainly had that effect, but the sudden intrusion right in front of her did not, and Loki had just enough time as she screamed again to make a mental note to work on his aim with that spell before she threw the bowl in her hands at him and bolted past him and down the hall to her bedroom.

 

    “Haven’t we already established this as pointless?” Loki called through the door, “I could open this door any time I want; it would be even easier than the cell.”

 

    “Yeah, well... Wait; _what?”_ Luna called back then opened the door and looked up at him, “Explain.”

 

    “I could have left that cell at any moment.”

 

    “Then why did you stay?”

 

    “Your father’s work intrigued me; and the man himself made for rather pleasant company.”

 

    “Makes sense. I guess.” Luna conceded. Her dad certainly was an interesting person; and knowing him, he probably enjoyed the time spent talking to another intelligent being very much. That still left one question, though. “If you could leave that cell whenever you wanted; why’d you ask me to let you out?” She asked, crossing her arms at her chest, the action reminding her that she had been having this and the previous conversation in her pyjamas.

 

    “I was curious to see if you would trust me with your life.” Loki replied with a smirk, eyes straying down from her face for a moment before returning.

 

    “That... that wasn’t trust,” Luna stammered, pointing a finger at him and taking a few steps back, “That was desperation. It was either you or Hydra, and I have a thing against bullets.”

 

    “No...” Loki began, stepping into the room and standing in front of her, “For all you knew, I could have been working with the intruders. You chose to believe I wasn’t.” He leaned down until their faces were only a few inches apart. “That’s trust, little bird.”

 

    Luna stepped back and glared at him. “Would you stop calling me that? I have a name!” She snapped, trying to ignore the fact that he was right.

 

    She _had_ trusted him. Only just barely, but she had. She wasn’t even sure why, but she believed him when he gave her his word that he would help. After talking to Thor, who had been very surprised by that bit of information, she’d come to the conclusion that the people of Asgard took promises very seriously.

 

    Still; that was then. There were no such promises now.

 

    “I know you have a name. A very lovely one at that,” Loki replied, an amused smile forming at her attempt to deflect, “But you so remind me of a bird; I thought it was only fitting.”

 

    “How the _hell_ do I...” Luna began indignantly before she thought better of it, “You know what? Nevermind. I don’t want to know.” She sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly, and placed her hands on her hips. “Seriously; why are you here? What could I possibly have to offer you?” She asked, not really wanting to argue anymore.

 

    “Are you well?” Loki asked instead, catching her completely off guard.

 

   “What?”

 

    “Your father’s disappearance cannot be easy.” He clarified, eyeing her closely as though trying to gauge her emotional health from her expression alone.

 

    “How’d you know about that?” Luna asked, surprised and yet somehow not.

 

    “I know many things.” Loki replied with a shrug. He stepped closer to her again. “So, how are you?” He asked again, sounding genuinely concerned.

 

    Luna shrugged and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. “We kinda always knew it was a possibility; with the kind of work he did.” She replied, bringing her knees up to her chest as Loki walked over to sit beside her. “I mean; yeah, it still sucks, but it’s not exactly surprising. Plus, there’s a chance he’s still alive.” She looked up at him, her eyes slightly watery. “It’s a small chance, but it’s there.”

 

    Loki placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed a bit, rubbing his thumb over her skin softly. “He spoke of you sometimes. You were close, weren’t you?” He asked.

 

    Luna nodded. “Mom left when I was little; it was always just him and me.”

 

    “I’m sorry.”

 

    “Thanks.” Luna replied with a small smile.

 

    They sat in silence for a while before Loki cleared his throat slightly. “I didn’t really read your mind.” He confessed slowly.

 

    “What?” Luna asked, turning to face him.

 

    “This morning, when you asked me how I knew what your home looked like; I didn’t read your mind.”

 

    “Then, how...?”

 

    Loki hesitated for a moment, unsure what her reaction would be. “... I have been watching you.” He admitted.

 

    “For how long?” Luna asked slowly, narrowing her eyes at him.

 

    “Since the day we met...”

 

    Luna stared at him for a moment, face blank, and then her hand flew up in a flash and she slapped him again, harder than the first time.

 

    In hindsight, he really should have seen that coming.


End file.
